Shoe cleat



Sept? 1933- D. COLLINS I 1,926,434.

SHOE CLEAT Filed March '21, 1932 IN VEN TOR 00/7/5/ C'a/fihs Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES FATE NT OFFICE 2 Claims.

, The present invention relates to shoe cleats of the type particularly used in out door sports, such as football.

Cleats are applied to the soles and heels of shoes and are intended to aid the player in obtaining a quick running start and in preventing the runner from slipping and also in providing a good grip on the ground.

A number of types of cleats have been 'used in the past. One of the common types which have been used are cleats which are built up of a group of parallel pieces of leather, the upper pieces being smaller than those at the base so that the whole cleat is shaped somewhat like a pyramid except that it is usually elongated more in onedirection.

Cleats built up in a pyramid with layers of leather are held to the shoe by means of shoe nails which are driven into the cleat through the top piece of leather. Nails are driven straight through the sole or into the sole and are turned over in the sole or on the inside of the shoe.

In using cleats of this type, the leather at the topmost part of the cleat where the head of the nail is, begins to wear first, and this part of the cleat is soon worn off. As a result the nails either become exposed or are driven further into the shoe and project on the inside making it impossible for the player to wear the shoe. Further than this, the nail being driven into the smallest piece of leather and making holes in this small piece, considerably weakens the leather itself, and for that reason it is quite usual to find that a top piece of the cleat has been lost from the shoe or has worn down very rapidly.

Besides this, since it is only possible to drive the.

nail through the top leather of the cleat, the cleat is held to the shoe only along a single line so that as a result of repeated use of the cleat in playing, the cleat becomes loose and does not fulfill its intended purpose.

Other types of cleats have been used. Some of these are cylindrical in shape and are attached to the shoe by a bolt which is embedded in the cleat and by a steel plate in the shoe in which the bolt is made tight. Round cleats of this nature tend to retard the player when the playing field is wet, and even on a dry field on account of their bending, the cleats do not allow the player the same freedom that he has with the pyramid type shape of cleats.

In the present invention I have made a shoe cleat which overcomes the difficulties described in connection with the type of cleats used in the prior art. The cleat, according to the present faces and parallel to the edges forming the wearinvention mayv be'used for any length of time without exposing any nails which might result'in considerable injury .to a player. Further than: this, the cleat is so held to the shoe that it is impossible for the nails to come through'the sole and project into the shoe.

It will also be noted that the cleat, according to the present invention is held to the shoe in. such manner that it will not loosen fromJthe shoe.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the description below taken in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure I shows the cleat in a preferable form W attached to the bottom of the shoe. 9*

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the cleat shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an end and side view of the cleat itself.

Figure 4 shows a modification of the cleat shown in Figure 3, and,

Figure 5 shows a still further modification.

In Figure 1, 1 designates the shoe to which the cleats 22 are attached through the sole 3. The cleats are also applied to the heels in the same fashion. The cleat itself preferably comprises three parts made of leather, two side elements 4 and 5 which have inner abutting faces spreading at the upper end to form a V in which the third element 6 fits, and having the edges of the leather elements 4 and 5 joined to form a wearing face. The elements 4 and 5 are held together by a shoe nail 7 driven through them substantially perpendicular to the joining ing surface. While an ordinary shoe nail is preferably used to join the inner faces of the elements 4 and 5, it may be noted that any other suitable method may be used.

The triangular element 6 may be held to the V faces of the .element 4 and 5 by being tacked thereto, but preferably the element 6 simply rests therein and is held in place by the fact that the nails 8--8-8 and 9-99 hold the piece 6 tightl in place.

'In holding the cleat to the sole 3, the nails 8 and 9 are driven at a slight angle into theshoe and there is provided a broad base for holding the cleat to the shoe so that it is very diiiicult to rock the cleat loose.

The cleat shown in Figure 1 attached t shoe, is shown in Figure 3, alone.

It will be noted that the elements 5 and 6 are bent outward at the lower portions and the.

for the mented together if desired.

In Figure 5 is shown a still further modification where a single piece of leather 12 is bent around in a fashion so that the sides adjacent the ends are faced against each other and so that a space is left in the center which may be filled with the proper shaped element 13 is desired, or if desired the piece of leather 12 may be formed around the center core 13.

The upper ends of the cleat as shown in Figure 5 may be riveted together in the manner indicated by the rivet 14 or likewise it may be cemented as previously indicated.

It will be noted on examination of Figures 1 and 2 that the part of the cleat which is exposed to the ground has no nails projecting or in the facing surface at these points.

at the upper part of the cleat where the cleat is attached to the shoe, and the fact that it is held at the two sides rather than in the middle, provides a means for holding the cleat so securely to the shoe that it cannot easily come loose.

Cleats of the present type have been successively used for an entire season and are just as good at the end of the season as at the beginning.

Usually when a cleat becomes poor the entire shoe must be discarded as it is practically impossible to repair the cleat alone.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a shoe a leather cleat comprising two leather pieces having their faces joined and forming a continuous wearing surface with their edges at one end and spread at the other end adjacent the shoe, and means holding the cleat to the shoe in the spread part of the cleat.

. 2. In'combination Witha shoe, a leather cleat comprising two leather pieces having their faces joined and forming a continuous wearing surface with their edges at one end and spread at the other end in a V forming a base, a third element 1 fitting in said V having its base facing the shoe, and means holding said cleat to the shoe through the base.

' DANIEL COLLINS. 

